Inner Beauty A Gwevin Story
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Oneshot. Takes place after Vengeance of Vilgax. Contains spoilers. Rated T for passionate kissing. This is a redo on the upload because the original was deleted... But I had the document on my computer so no big. Man Of Action owns Ben 10 Alien Force.


**OMG SQUEAL!!!! Sorry, I'm crazy today! I just saw the premiere of the new season of Ben 10 last night and was amazed at what happened to Kevin! All Gwevin fans should be happy because you have no clue on how many romantic possibilities just opened up! I'm also excited because I imagined something like this happening WAY before this episode! Everything down to Kevin calling himself a monster was spot on! That was like the fourth time I predicted something that happened later! I predicted Max's return, Kevin and Gwen planning to go to a dance and ending up dancing on their own somewhere else, and an almost Gwevin kiss interrupted by the Highbreed! You can call me the Ben 10 Prophet from now on. Or maybe the Gwevin Prophet because I mostly predict Gwevin moments… Anyway, this takes place after the new season premiere! This is a chocolate story. It is sweet and comforting for Kevin. You can also translate it into a cotton candy story if you include the extensive fluffiness in the equation. Enjoy! (PS- Who else wanted to smack Ben silly throughout this episode? Let's have a show of hands, people.)**

As soon as he was able, Kevin left the group to be alone. He had a lot to think about. He crept into the nearby woods and sat down by the lake. He knelt down and gazed at his reflection in the water. Like last time, he couldn't bear to look at it for long and angrily splashed his hand against the water, trying to make the image go away. Unable to hold back, he started to cry. 'Everything was going great. I have friends. I've never been happier. I was human…' He shook his head. 'Maybe it's my destiny to be hideous like this.' The thought made more tears run down his cheeks and he gripped at the edge of land by the lake for support. 'My destiny…to be a monster…' His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of walking behind him. Quickly, he wiped his face and stood up. Ben pushed the bracken aside and walked over.

"I thought I'd find you here, Kevin." Kevin scowled at Ben and turned away.

"What do you want? Came to gloat about saving the earth yet again? Want a medal? How about that trophy case?" He fumed. Ben walked over next to Kevin.

"That's not why I'm here. I'm not here to gloat. I want to apologize to you." Kevin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"This ought to be good!" He muttered acidly. Ben flinched at his tone but stood firm.

"It was all my fault that you were mutated." Kevin nodded.

"Yeah. It was." Ben bowed his head.

"I was being a jerk, a moron, and a selfish loser." Kevin nodded again.

"Don't forget obnoxious."

"Yeah…obnoxious too…" Ben consented. "Listen, Kevin. I understand that this hurts you and-" Kevin turned on him.

"Understand?! How can you understand?! You were always the hero! You were Mr. Save-The-Planet, the almighty holder of the Omnitrix! You were never what I was…what I am…" He turned away from Ben. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to make you a promise, Kevin. I will do everything within my power to make you normal again. I won't rest until you're the way you were before." Kevin turned back toward Ben.

"You really mean that?" Ben nodded fervently.

"Of course I do! I mean…you're my best friend." Kevin's stony face broke into a small smile.

"You're my best friend too, Ben. Thanks." Ben smiled back. Kevin sighed and looked nervously at Ben. "Hey, Ben…can I trust you to keep a secret?" Ben blinked.

"Secret? Sure. What secret?"

"Well…you probably know that I have a crush on Gwen…" Ben gave him a "No duh." look. "You see…it's not just that. I don't just have a crush on her." He stared out at the lake, careful not to look at himself. "I love her." He waited for Ben to taunt him but no harsh words came. Ben just nodded slowly.

"Go on." He murmured calmly. Kevin breathed an inwards sigh of relief before continuing.

"Whenever I'm around her, I feel so happy. When she's happy, everything in the world seems complete. When she's sad, I feel worse. When someone hurts her, I feel so angry. Just feeling her touch me, even slightly, makes my heart beat faster. It's like she completes me. I would do anything for her." He turned back toward Ben, awaiting his reaction. Ben nodded slowly.

"And?" Kevin shook his head to clear it.

"I don't want her to be with a monster. I want to be with her but I don't want to be with her as long as I'm like this. She deserves to be at least with someone human. If I can give her that, I will. If not…" Ben put a hand on Kevin's arm and gazed at him with a newfound respect.

"Kevin, you just made it ten times more important for me to find out how to make you normal again. I won't fail. I swear that I won't fail." He then smirked a little. "Although…I have one condition." Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Ben leaned close and whispered into Kevin's ear.

"Can I be your best man at the wedding?" Kevin's eyes narrowed and he slowly turned toward Ben.

"Start running, Tennyson." Ben laughed and bolted off, Kevin in close pursuit. All of a sudden, he felt a force field go up in front of him. He turned to see Gwen.

"Do I have to separate you two _again_?" Ben grinned sheepishly.

"We were just messing around, Gwen." Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Just go home, Ben." Ben sighed.

"Yes, Mom. Later, Kev!" He called to Kevin before running off. Gwen then turned to Kevin.

"Are you okay? You left awfully fast before." Kevin shrugged, trying not to show any emotion.

"I'm fine." He sat down again and accidentally looked down at his reflection. He instinctively slapped his hand against the surface and turned his head away from the water. Gwen moved over and sat next to him.

"Wanna talk?" Kevin shook his head.

"Are words really needed? It's pretty obvious what the problem is after all." Gwen put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't see a problem." Kevin turned toward her.

"Look at me!" He said, his voice cracking. "I'm wrong in every way! I was so sure that I could finally fit it again. Now…I'm just another monster." Gwen spoke in a sharp and fierce voice.

"Kevin Ethan Levin, you are not a monster. I don't want to ever hear you call yourself that." Her voice softened as she reached out to stroke his cheek. "Nothing has changed except your outer appearance." Kevin turned his head away from her.

"I'm hideous. How can you even…" He shook his head.

"How can I even what?" A tear ran down Kevin's cheek.

"How can you still feel the same way toward me as you did before? How are you not disgusted by me? How-" He was cut off as Gwen placed her hand over his.

"Kevin...it doesn't matter" Kevin stood up.

"I'm gonna go…" Gwen reached out and took Kevin's hand in his as she too stood up.

"Kevin, listen. I want to tell you something." Kevin bowed his head.

"Alright. What is it?" Gwen blushed and looked down nervously.

"It's the reason that I came to find you. I just feel like this is the time to let you know. If I keep it hidden any longer, I'll go crazy." Kevin looked at her attentively.

"Okay, what is it?" Gwen's grip on Kevin's rock hand tightened.

"I love you, Kevin." Kevin gaped at her, dumbstruck. "I have loved you for a long time, Kevin and that hasn't changed now." Kevin slowly moved his hand away from her grip and gazed sadly at her.

"Gwen…I'm not right for you. At least not now. Whether you say it or not, I'm a monster." He turned away and felt another tear run down his cheek. "I want what's best for you, Gwen. Letting you be with me just…would ruin your life! We'd never be able to walk around together like we used to since I need to hide from people now. It would be like a double life!"

"How do you know what's best for me better than I do?" Kevin shrugged and didn't answer. Gwen walked around him so that she was facing him once more. She reached out and placed one hand on his rough grey cheek and the other on his smooth green cheek. She gently wiped a tear off of his rock side. "I'll prove that you are no monster. Close your eyes."

"Okay…" Kevin felt his resistance melting away and allowed his eyelids to droop. He then felt an unmistakable softness against his lips. Gwen was kissing him! His mind told him to push her away and try to explain things to her more clearly. His heart told him to stop thinking and drown in this moment. He listened to his heart. He tilted his head and began to cautiously kiss back. He felt Gwen's arms go around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

Gwen smiled in the kiss as she felt Kevin's response. 'That's it, Kevin. Don't be afraid.' She thought soothingly. His lips were hard, rough, and cool but they felt more amazing than anything she could have ever imagined.

Kevin brought his metal hand up and rested it on the back of Gwen's neck, kissing more passionately. Gwen shivered and he felt a pang of regret. 'It's the cold metal…' His thoughts stopped once more as Gwen pressed herself even closer to him, still shivering with delight. He could feel himself trembling with excitement. Their lips moved with a certain desperation, as if they needed to let all of their love be known with this one kiss. Kevin's arms moved around her waist and wrapped tightly around her. If he was hurting her, she wasn't saying anything! On the contrary, he could feel Gwen's arms become tighter as well.

After who knows how long, the two broke apart. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before Gwen rested her head on Kevin's stony chest. She closed her eyes and smiled. "I want to be with you, Kevin. Please say yes." She felt Kevin sigh. It was almost as if he was breathing out the last of his resistance.

"I'll never leave your side, Gwen. I love you." Kevin whispered into her ear.

Hearing those words, Gwen felt a new warmth in her heart. It felt similar to the burning heat that she had felt when the Highbreed commander was about to kill Kevin. The only difference was that this felt…sweeter. She felt her mana slowly surrounding her and she willed it to envelope Kevin as well. The two were surrounded by that familiar pink-violet light. Gwen poured into her mana everything she was feeling. Kevin felt it and hugged her closer as she was bombarded by so many loving thoughts, she felt happy tears come to her eyes. They both could feel the other's love to the fullest. They were one and the same. It took Gwen a moment to realize that her face was now buried in a soft white tee-shirt and that the arms that surrounded her were suddenly so much warmer and softer…

Kevin felt Gwen's love and devotion and felt a release within him. All hardness, sadness, and anger melted away. His eyes opened and he stepped back. Slowly he lifted his hands up so that he could see them. He turned and looked down into the lake. He was human again. He turned back toward Gwen, a look of indescribable joy on his face. Gwen smiled lovingly at him. Slowly, Kevin stepped forward. He took Gwen's face in his hands and captured her lips in another kiss. This one was different from the last kiss. This kiss was more gentle, calm, and sweet. He felt Gwen respond immediately with the same flowing movements. There was no need to pour desperation into this kiss. It was slow and sweet, like maple syrup. Kevin's lips tingled as Gwen's kisses coaxed his mind into a sweet oblivion where nothing existed except the two. They were one and the same, two halves of a whole. They were together. 'Gwen…'

Gwen broke the kiss for a moment to murmur into Kevin's ear. "You know…it doesn't matter either way. Just between you and me, I've always found you really attractive when you absorb matter." She saw Kevin's face grow red. He started stammering nervously but whatever he was saying was silenced with another kiss.

"Mmmm…" He began to caress Gwen and held her tighter as she melted into his arms. "Gwen…my Gwen…" He moaned between kisses, his lips continuing to brush hers with every word. "My sweet…beautiful Gwen…"

Gwen, still kissing with a deep devotion, coaxed Kevin to sit down on the grass again with her. There, they snuggled up together and Gwen allowed another blanket of mana to wrap around them. They held each other tightly, feeling the combined love of each other flowing through them. The combined warmth of the mana, her own heat from extensive blushing, and Kevin made her drowsy and it wasn't long before she closed her eyes and began to doze off. She could have sworn before she fell completely into dreamland that Kevin was softly singing a lullaby in her ear. He had a sweet voice…

Meanwhile, Ben was talking to Azmuth via the Omnitrix. "So, what do you suggest?" Azmuth shook his head.

"There is nothing that you can do, Ben Tennyson." Ben sighed in dismay.

"Isn't there anything that can change him back?" Azmuth nodded.

"There is one thing. The only thing that can cause a mutation like that to rapidly change back is the most powerful force in the universe." Ben nodded.

"What is it? How do I get it?" Azmuth chuckled.

"That force is love, Ben." Ben groaned.

"How does that help me?" Azmuth smiled.

"Read some of your old human fairy tales. Beauty and the Beast for example. You will find that it may help you." Azmuth disappeared.

Ben picked up his book of fairy tales and flipped to Beauty and the Beast. 'The curse will only be broken if he loves someone who returns that love. Their love will unlock his inner beauty and make him human again.' He closed his book and stared off into space. 'Inner beauty huh…?' He pondered this for a long time before going to bed. 'Maybe I should get Gwen to kiss him. I'll talk to her in the morning.' That was his last thought before falling asleep.

**Well? What do you think? Fluffy right? Great possibilities, right? I am the Prophet, right? There's one more thing I wanna add; when Kevin saw his reflection in Gwen's mirror and smacked the mirror away shouting, "NO!", did anyone else want to go into the TV and give him a great big hug? Oh, come on! I know I'm not alone here! Anyway, my Gwevin craze is back to the fullest so you will be seeing a lot more Gwevin action airing on Channel Solora! See ya'll around! GO GWEVIN!!!!!**


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